Wilmslow Youth has been awarded a Wilmslow Town Council Community Grant of £5,000 to help fund their 'wider family' programme, which supports parents and provides help for children who are about to start secondary school.

Wilmslow Youth is a local charity, based in Wilmslow United Reformed Church, offering services to all young people and their families in the Wilmslow and surrounding areas.

They create spaces for young people to come and belong, where they can build friendships with other young people and get to know trusted adults who can support them whenever needs arise.

Wilmslow Youth also provide free-to-access, early intervention, professional mental health services for young people aged 11-18 and their parents.

All their therapeutic provisions are supported by wrap-around support groups, drop-in sessions, and activities that promote healthy social interaction and break down stigmas around mental illness.

Opening in 2016, Wilmslow Youth today has a footfall of 110 young people coming through their doors every week.

Wilmslow Town Council's grant will help to fund Wilmslow Youth's 'wider family' programme, which has two primary elements.

The first element is free counselling for parents, carers and grandparents. For every young person they support, Wilmslow Youth offer free-to-access counselling for their parents, carers or grandparents, who are in the vital role of supporting the young person at home.

The other element is mental health early intervention for year 6 students, supporting children with emerging mental health issues. This includes small group sessions in schools for children experiencing high levels of anxiety, whole class sessions for every year 6 class, and support during the first half-term at secondary school for any children who accessed support whilst in primary school.

Wilmslow Town Mayor, Councillor Tim Higgins, said, "We are proud to support Wilmslow Youth with their incredible and important work, supporting the mental health of young children within our community and their families.

"The results of our recent Annual Residents' Survey highlighted how much supporting youth services matters to residents, with almost 80 per cent of respondents saying that providing more targeted support or facilities for the youth was either very important or fairly important to them.

"We wish Wilmslow Youth continued success with their programme and thank them for all they do."

You can find out more about Wilmslow Youth and what they do HERE.

Wilmslow Youth is also participating in the 'Big Give' between Tuesday 3 December and Tuesday 10 December during which any donations you make to Wilmslow Youth are doubled.

They are also running a Christmas raffle until Wednesday 9 December.

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